ADDRESS 



BY 



Charles W, Fairbanks 



ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH 
ANNIVERSARY 



BATTLE OF MONMOUTH 
FREEHOLD, N. J. 



June 27, 1903 



ADDRESS 



BY 



Charles W. Fairbanks 



ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH 
ANNIVERSARY 



BATTLE OF MONMOUTH 
FREEHOLD, N. J. 



June 27, 1903 



PRESS OF 

LEVEY BRO'S & CO., INC. 

INDIANAPOLIS 



p. 

Author. 

(Ptrsow). 

1|S'03 






Fellow-citizens of New Jersey: We stand upon 
holy ground, for here was fought a battle for human 
freedom one hundred and twenty-five years ago. 
Here heroic men dared all and suffered all that this 
country might be the abode of liberty. Here our 
intrepid fathers challenged the imperial power of old 
England. Here was sown, in the blood of patriots, 
the seed of a nascent nation. 

We are assembled with hearts full of reverence 
and gratitude ; reverence for the God of battles, who 
directed aright the soldiers of the Continental army, 
and gratitude to those who gave their lives into the 
care and keeping of fate that liberty might triumph 
here. 

We can not realize the true magnitude and signifi- 
cance of the engagement whose anniversary we cele- 
brate, unless we turn back to the period of the Revo- 
lutionary struggle. They were men of might in those 
days. They were not great in numbers, but they had 
a great cause, and they were great in their complete 
consecration to it, and great in their moral and physi- 
cal courage. Their deeds were worthy of those done 
in the palmiest days of chivalry. 

The Continental army was poorly paid, poorly 
equipped and poorly fed; yet, it fought on with a 
grim determination, born of the sublimest purpose 
that ever summoned men to the field of Mars. 

New Jersey, majestic commonwealth, hallowed by 
countless memories of the struggle for independence, 
does well to celebrate the battle of Monmouth, for 
here was waged one of the engagements of a contest 
fraught with mighty consequences, not only to her, 
but to the human race. The divine right of kings 
was believed by our forefathers to be a monstrous 
political heresy, and here they drew their sword 
to establish the true doctrine that the people rule by 
divine right. 

The battle of Monmouth is familiar to the student 
of American history. The historian has recorded all 
its details — the preparation, the strategy of the op- 



posing commanders and the charge. There is noth- 
ing new to be added. We can but recount the story 
as it has come down to us. However old, it possesses 
an everliving interest. We do not grow weary of 
the recital, for the field of glory possesses for the 
patriot a fascination that is as enduring as the stars. 

When the American army went into winter quar- 
ters at Valley Forge, the cause of independence was 
at low ebb. There was the memory of Saratoga, it 
is true, but there was also the recollection of Ger- 
mantown and the Brandywine. A more distressing 
spectacle to the cause of freedom can scarcely be con- 
ceived than that which was witnessed during the win- 
ter preceding the engagement at Monmouth. The 
supersession of Washington as commander-in-chief 
of the army was plotted, and want and suffering per- 
vaded the ranks. Officers and men shared alike their 
misfortunes. The weather was intensely cold ; many 
of the regiments were barefooted, and they left their 
footprints of blood in the snows ; their clothing was 
scanty, their quarters were rude huts filled with 
straw, and without ample blankets. Food was scarce. 
In short, everything was wanting to make up the 
ideal army, except indomitable pluck and inflexible 
purpose. The sharp blasts of winter could not extin- 
guish the fires of liberty which burned in the breasts 
of the soldiers of Washington, and the cabals of envy 
and jealousy could not wrest his rightful leadership 
from the commander-in-chief. His men loved and 
believed in him, and they followed him with a semi- 
idolatry. He was securely intrenched in their confi- 
dence, safe beyond the reach of malicious intrigue. 

A more touching spectacle was never presented to 
the imagination, outside of the realms of pure ro- 
mance, than was presented by that band of patriots 
at Valley Forge. 

With all the discouraging circumstances which sur- 
rounded them the army was not idle, nor indifferent 
to the great issue which was committed to its keep- 



ing. The long and weary months were given over to 
drill and preparation. 

In February, 1778, Baron Steuben, a Prussian 
soldier, joined the army at Valley Forge. He was 
skilled in the art of arms and was thoroughly loyal 
to the American cause. He soon won the confidence 
of Washington, and to him was intrusted the impor- 
tant task of instructing the men in military tactics. 
He took the raw material, than which there was no 
better, and readily and rapidly molded it into an 
effective and invincible fighting machine. 

The British army occupied Philadelphia and was 
quite differently circumstanced from the one at Val- 
ley Forge. It was well housed, well dressed, well 
fed, well paid and confident. It did not entertain a 
doubt of the ultimate triumph of the royal cause. 

The winter was one long period of ease and pleas- 
ure. The theater and the gaming table afforded ade- 
quate diversion for the British officers, and about the 
banquet board, toasts were proposed and drunk to the 
health of the English sovereign and to the early suc- 
cess of his cause. All of which seemed like a cruel 
mockery to the half -starved army which lay at Val- 
ley Forge some twenty miles away. 

The conclusion of a treaty of amity and armed 
alliance with the French government, in February, 
1778, was an event of potent significance, but it was 
some months before the intelligence reached our 
army. 

"The seventh day of May, 1778," says General 
Carrington, "was not entirely a day of gloom for the 
American army, then encamped at Valley Forge. 
The breath of spring quickened nature, and the for- 
est began to stir and bud for its next campaign. 

"So the breath of heaven bore a French frigate. 
La Sensible, thirty-six guns, to Falmouth harbor 
(Portland), Maine, and there landed from her deck 
a herald of France, and he proclaimed an armed al- 
liance between his country and the United States. 



6 



"On the 7th of May, at 9 o'clock a. m., the Ameri- 
can army was on parade. Drums beat and cannon 
were fired, as if for some victory. It was a day of 
jubilee, a rare occurrence for the time and place. 

"The brigades were steady, but not brilliant in 
their formation. Uniforms were scarce. Many feet 
were bare. Many had no coats. Some wore coats 
made of the remnants of their winter blankets. The 
pomp and circumstance of war was wanting. Strong- 
ly marked faces, good muscle, and vigorous action 
were to be discovered; but there was no such sur- 
passing display of extrinsic splendor as enlivened 
Philadelphia, only eleven days later. 

"There was no review by general officers, with a 
well-appointed staff. Few matrons and few maidens 
looked on. There stood before each brigade its 
chaplain. God's ambassador was made the voice to 
explain this occasion of their expenditure of greatly 
needed powder. The treaty of alliance was read, 
and in solemn silence the American army at Valley 
Forge united in thanksgiving to Almighty God that 
he had given them one friend on earth. 

"One theme was universal, and it flutters yet in 
the breasts of millions: 

" 'Praise God from whom all blessings flow.' 

"Huzzas for the King of France, for Washington 
and the republic, "with caps tossed high in air, and 
a rattling fire through the whole line, terminated the 
humble pageant." 

When the British received intelligence that France 
had fitted out a fleet to aid the American cause, they 
decided to evacuate Philadelphia and seek 'New York 
city. General Clinton, an able officer, was in com- 
mand of the British forces, the pick and flower of 
the British army. It would be of interest chiefly to 
military strategists to follow in detail the maneuvers 
of the British forces from Philadelphia, and of the 
American army from Valley Forge, to the engage- 



ment at Monmouth. The story has been too fre- 
quently told to need detailed repetition. 

General Clinton sought to regain New York, and 
General Washington, who had anticipated his evacu- 
ation of Philadelphia, left Valley Forge in pursuit of 
him. He overtook the enemy, and the battle of Mon- 
mouth was fought on Sunday, June 28, 1778, a 
sacred day devoted to a holy cause. No fitter day 
in which patriots could fight ; no fitter day in which 
they could die. 

The forces engaged in each army were substan- 
tially equal. The battle raged fiercely throughout 
the day. There were many attacks and surprises, re- 
treats and rallies. There were at times confusion 
and doubt as to the result of the contest. There were 
many instances of great courage and exceptional 
bravery in both armies. 

The gallantry of Washington's ofiicers and men 
was most admirable. They were inspired by their 
great commander, who pressed forward with the zeal 
of a crusader. But for the masterly genius and dar- 
ing of Washington a different result might, and prob- 
ably would, have been recorded here. When the re- 
treat of the troops imder Lee threatened the army 
with confusion and disaster, Washington went to the 
front with all possible dispatch. He filled officers 
and men mth new courage; he was greeted with 
cheers and hats high in air, and the retreating troops 
were turned against the enemy, and seeming disaster 
was in good time turned into victory. Panic and dis- 
order were followed by confidence and an orderly 
reformation of the lines of battle. It was indeed 
fortunate that willing and brave men had an unques- 
tioning faith in their supreme commander, and that 
the commander knew the excellent fiber of his men. 

We are told that: "The rout of the grenadiers 
by Wayne virtually closed the battle of Monmouth. 
For a short time afterwards the conflict was contin- 
ued. * * * The sun was now near the horizon. 



the long summer day, then drawing to its close, had 
been one of the hottest ever known, and the troops 
were worn down with fatigue ; yet Washington im- 
mediately resolved to pursue the advantage he had 
gained and attack the forces of Clinton in their new 
and strong position. * * * The Commander-in- 
Chief, who had been in the saddle during nearly the 
whole day, regardless of fatigue or danger, lay down 
on the battlefield wrapped in his cloak, and passed 
the night in the midst of his soldiers. The conflict 
of the day, disastrous enough at first, had ended with 
a decided advantage to the American arms, and he 
felt confident of a decisive victory on the morrow. 
But the returning daylight dispelled all his hopes, 
for the bivouac-ground of the royal troops was va- 
cant, and not a scarlet uniform save those of the dead 
and wounded could be seen on the heights and plains 
of Freehold." 

"The fires were bright in Clinton's camp. 
But long ere morning's dawn 

His beaten host was on the tramp 
And all the foes were gone. 

N^ever again may cannon sweep 
Where waves the golden grain, 

And ne'er again an army sleep 
Upon old Monmouth's plain." 
"Washington animated his forces," said Gordon, 
"by his gallant example, and by exposing his person 
to every danger common to the meanest soldier," and 
"the behavior of the American troops in general, 
after recovering from the first surprise occasioned by 
the retreat was mentioned as what could not be sur- 
passed." 

"It was impossible," said Stedman, "to attack 
Washington's front with any prospect of success ; the 
judicious position which he took probably saved his 
advance corps from total ruin." 

Yonder monument, among other things, seeks to 
perpetuate the memory and service of Molly Pitcher. 
Although she did not at the time of the battle bear a 



9 

commission, she rendered service and gave proof of 
her devotion to the sublime cause which entitles her 
to the highest mark of gratitude that can be expressed 
by a grateful people for those who go down to the 
battlefields of their country. We are told that a 
young cannoneer fell mortally wounded, and his 
piece was about to be taken by the enemy, when his 
wife, Molly Pitcher, who had been carrying water to 
the soldiers, fearlessly seized the rammer, reloaded 
the cannon and fired it with fatal effect upon the ad- 
vancing foe. For this heroic deed, Washington gave 
her a sergeant's commission, and she was thereafter 
known as "Captain Molly." 

This beautiful incident is but illustrative of the 
devotion to the cause of the women of the Revolution. 

We can not forget, and we should not forget, the 
services of the mothers in that mighty contest, 
freighted with such far-reaching consequences to the 
human race. We are told that "when the resources 
of the country scarcely allowed the scantiest supply 
of clothing and provisions, the British cruisers on 
the coast destroyed every hope of aid from merchant 
vessels; when, to the distressed troops their cup of 
misfortune seemed full to overflowing, and there ap- 
peared no prospect of relief, except from the benevo- 
lence of their fellow-citizens ; when even the ability 
of these was exliausted by repeated applications — 
then it was that the women of Pennsylvania and Kew 
Jersey, by their zealous exertions and willing service, 
accomplished what had been thought impossible. ISTot 
only was the pressure of want removed, but the sym- 
pathy and favor of the fair daughters of America, 
says one of the journals, operated like a charm on 
the soldier's heart, gave vigor to exertion, confidence 
to his hopes of success and the ultimate certainty of 
victory and peace," 

Upon New Jersey's soil were fought the most deci- 
sive engagements of the Revolution. The victories of 
Trenton, Princeton and Monmouth, vitally affected 
the American cause. Here where we stand to-day. 



10 



was fought the last serious engagement in the North. 
The British forces had forever lost New England, 
and at Monmouth thej foresaw the end of the effort 
to recover the middle Colonies. 

The battle of Monmouth put new hope into the 
hearts and increased strength into the arms of the 
American soldiers. It easily marked the beginning 
of the end. Thenceforth no army led by Washing- 
ton met defeat. 

New Jersey did well her part in the battle of Mon- 
mouth. To her militia, under the gallant Dickinson, 
belongs the honor of firing the shot opening the en- 
gagement. General Washington congratulated her 
militia "for their nobleness in opposing the enemy on 
their march from Philadelphia and for the aid which 
they have given in embarrassing them and impeding 
their motions so as to allow the Continental troops to 
come up with them." 

As we recount the deeds of heroism done here, as 
we recall the story of carnage and death, we have no 
trace of bitterness in our hearts. We see men stoutly 
opposing each other, fighting for that which their 
consciences commanded. Right and wrong grappled 
for the mastery, and right won. Liberty triumphed. 
We share not in the bitterness which divided the con- 
tending hosts ; that faded away at Yorktown. 

The personnel of the American army invites our 
attention. Some of the greatest names in the history 
of America, yes, in all history, opposed the British 
forces at Monmouth. There was George Washing- 
ton, whose fame is as deathless as immortality; and 
there was Alexander Hamilton, then but twenty-two 
years old, an aid to the commander-in-chief, a very 
genius in statesmanship; and there was also John 
Marshall, who, later, as Chief Justice of the Supreme 
Court of the United States, interpreted the constitu- 
tion so as to make secure forever the fruits gathered 
here one hundred and twenty-five years ago. And 
there was James Madison, the fifth President of the 
United States; to his wisdom and labor, more than 



11 



to that of any other man, we are indebted for the Fed- 
eral constitution. Here fought also the brave Lafay- 
ette, whose name is forever associated with Wash- 
ington and the Revolution. Baron Steuben, whose 
military skill and loyalty proved a tower of strength, 
was here; and here fought also Greene and Wayne, 
Scott and Knox, Ogden and Frelinghuysen, and 
others equally deserving of mention and equally en- 
shrined in the affections of the American people. 
Their names are inscribed upon the everlasting pil- 
lars of American independence. 

Here liberty and monarchy contested for the mas- 
tery. Here treason sought to betray the Continental 
army, but treachery was impotent against the fear- 
less army of Washington. It succeeded only in mak- 
ing infamous the name Charles Lee, and in making 
more luminous the deeds of those whom all the 
wealth royalty could give, and all the decorations it 
could confer, could not swerve from their arduous 
and exalted task. The enemy, through the subtle, 
insidious form of a weak and crafty traitor, could not 
win a victory. The battle of Monmouth teaches us 
the fadeless beauty of loyal devotion upon the field, 
and the endless infamy of treachery to those who 
bare their breasts to the pitiless hail of war. 

Some of the soldiers who died here for liberty, sleep 
in unknown graves. For one century and a quarter 
they have so slept. I^To ; not unknown, for God Al- 
mighty knows where every soldier of the American 
Revolution yielded up the last full measure of his 
devotion to the sacred cause of his countrymen. IsTo 
monument of granite or marble or bronze is neces- 
sary to mark the place where their ashes rest, for a 
greater monument than these has risen above and 
about them — the sublimest monument that ever 
commemorated the valor of the dead, and that is, 
this mighty fabric of human liberty, the republic of 
the United States. 

The battle of Monmouth gave new encouragement 
and increased hope to that small and brave people. 



12 



battling against great odds, to be free. It firmly 
established Washington in the confidence of his pa- 
triotic countrymen. It was not in itself decisive of 
the great contest. It was but one of the many for- 
tuitous engagements which, in the end, gave us York- 
town. Monmouth was but one of the events, an im- 
portant one, indeed, in the complex problem which 
was in process of solution for seven long, tedious and 
weary years. 

The Revolutionary war, measured by the tremen- 
dous results which flowed from it, was one of the 
greatest in all human history. The prize of battle 
was free government, an experiment which menaced 
the foundations of monarchical government every- 
where. The Revolutionary war was fought to estab- 
lish the exalted doctrines w^iicli found utterance in 
the Declaration of Independence. What Thomas 
Jefferson wrote with the pen, George Washington 
wrote with the sword at Monmouth. The declara- 
tion that "all men are created equal, that they are 
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable 
rights ; that among these are life, liberty and the 
pursuit of happiness," was meaningless, until the men 
of the Revolution wrote it in their blood, here and 
elsewhere. With their lives they sanctified this field 
to human freedom. 

The struggle of our fathers to establish human 
liberty is one of the sublimest events in recorded his- 
tory. It is a profoundly pathetic story. It fills us 
with immeasurable admiration and inexpressible 
gratitude. W^e can not forget it if we would, and we 
would not if we could. They :£ought under a brief 
code. The world could understand it. England did 
not need it interpreted: Liberty or death. England 
learned the tragic significance of this at Monmouth 
and on other fields, where she met the Continental 
forces. 

We can not contemplate the condition of New 
Jersey when Monmouth was given to history, with- 
out noting the contrast with to-day. It is scarcely 



13 



credible that the conditions, as we witness them, are 
the actual development of one hundred and twenty- 
five years of human effort. Xew Jersey was resolute 
in purpose, and was the theater of some of the most 
important military engagements of the Revolution. 
There was nothing in that early period to suggest 
her present material strength, her progress in edu- 
cation and in all the great departments of the 
most advanced civilization. She has made her rich 
contribution to our national development and has 
been loyal to our national interests. She has sent 
her sons down to all the battlefields of the re- 
public to uphold the national integrity, and pre- 
serve, unsullied, the national honor. Her sons have 
been filled with the spirit of the fathers, who so 
resolutely contested England's power upon this his- 
toric field. Though ever ready to do battle for 
their country, the people of jSTew Jersey have pre- 
ferred the ways of peace. They have possessed a 
realizing sense that "Peace hath her victories, no less 
renowned than w^ar." 

The splendid commonwealth in whose achieve- 
ments we share a common pride, is rich and power- 
ful. Her industrial centers have brought her de- 
served renown, and have promised still greater re- 
wards. But these do not constitute her chief title to 
our respect and admiration. Her justice, her charity, 
her patriotism, are her claim to the regard which ex- 
alteth the State and endureth. 

Our country to-day stands in marked contrast with 
the country of one century and a quarter ago. A 
mighty transformation has been wrought. It almost 
seems like the work of some strange magician. 
Where there were thousands, there are to-day mil- 
lions. Vast cities have arisen where there were un- 
broken forests ; hamlets have become populous mu- 
nicipalities, and far-reaching highways of commerce 
knit together vast sections of the country, then alien 
territory, undiscovered and unknown. The small 
people, contending against great odds, and having 



14 



but slight sympathy iu other lands, have become a 
puissant republic, respected and honored as the most 
masterful nation among the sisterhood of nations. 

The three millions have grown to more than eighty 
millions of people. ISTew avenues of industry have 
been opened, and our industrial independence has 
been secured. American commerce is seeking the 
uttermost parts of the earth. Our territorial limits 
have been expanded and our flag is in two hemi- 
spheres, the visible emblem of American freedom. 
We have given to liberty a definition unknown to 
our fathers. They bequeathed to us a system of 
slavery. It rested upon us as a curse, but, inspired 
by the sacrifice of our fathers of the American Revo- 
lution, we in good time wiped it away. Yes, with 
the priceless blood of our youth, we completely dedi- 
cated our land to freedom — freedom that knows no 
color. Now, all may swell the sweet anthem: 
My country, 'tis of thee. 
Sweet land of liberty. 
Of thee I sing. 

Our country has expanded beyond the limits con- 
templated by those whose genius and courage founded 
it. The sphere of republican influence was not to 
exist only along the Atlantic seaboard. It was not 
to be so circumscribed. It was destined, in God's 
providence, to sweep away monarchical forms, and to 
extend westward to the Pacific. Spain and France 
and Mexico, in turn, yielded dominion of a part of 
their territory to us, territory which constitutes some 
of the richest portions of the United States. 

The events of the past few years have given us an 
increased place in the affairs of the world. We are 
in touch with other powers as never before. The 
United States has an increased influence in the in- 
ternational council chamber. Our power and our 
sense of justice are recognized. Our diplomacy is 
not distrusted. We have not established a reputa- 
tion for international intermeddling. We are not 
disposed to disturb the international peace, and we 



15 



do not seek to interfere with the domestic affairs of 
other powers. The advice of the sage of Mt. Vernon 
has not gone unheeded. While we are obliged to 
play a greater part in the affairs of the world than 
when Washington spoke, there is the same good rea- 
son for avoiding entangling alliances as then. 

Our part in international affairs will be played 
with impartiality and absolute justice to other pow- 
ers. We do not seek their territory, nor do we pro- 
pose to disturb their institutions. We shall enter 
into a generous contest with them for our share of the 
world's commerce, but this, within the proper limits 
of the rights of nations. We shall push the conquests 
of peace through the genius and energy and co-opera- 
tion of our labor and capital, to the uttermost parts 
of the earth. We shall send our flag into all ports of 
trade, not as a menace, but as the harbinger of peace 
and good-will. 

We have witnessed an evolution in our industrial 
world. Old methods, old ways, are rapidly yielding 
to new methods and new ways. ISTew conditions have 
arisen and will arise. We must deal with them with- 
out passion and with good judgment. It becomes us 
to deliberate and act wisely. We should take no 
counsel of the demagogue nor of the politician who 
looks to temporary advantage rather than to the 
fundamental question of right. 

We should seek to teach lessons of fair dealing 
among men, to the end that the great forces in our 
upbuilding may act with perfect justice towards each 
other. Those who laid down their lives here did it, 
not in the interest of one, but in the interest of all. 

The occasion will have failed in the accomplish- 
ment of its chief purpose, if it shall not fill us with a 
renewed determination faithfully to serve and guard 
well the State. The office we discharge is to benefit 
the living, not the dead. We are to draw herefrom 
new inspiration, which we shall carry into the dis- 
charge of our civic duties. We each and all owe a 
duty to the community and to the State. It is a posi- 



16 



tive duty, and that is, to aid in securing good laws 
and their faithful enforcement. We are not menaced 
by foreign foes. We have no fear of alien attack. 
We have nothing within to dread except the indiffer- 
ence of the intelligent citizen to the discharge of his 
civic obligations. In our domestic affairs we want 
something of the Spartan courage which led our 
fathers to make luminous and forever glorious the 
field of Monmouth. 

We want no laws inspired by passion, nor do we 
want them administered by selfishness or incapacity. 
The best laws, wisely administered, are what we de- 
mand, and they can be secured if we but do our duty, 
a duty commanded by the sacrifice of those who sleep 
on this field, and by our own interests and the inter- 
ests of those who shall follow us. 

Hither, as unto a sacred shrine, the patriots will 
come in the centuries which stretch before us with 
such splendid promise, and bathe their souls in the 
higher and purer atmosphere of patriotism, and draw 
new inspiration from this field. Here they will see 
the phantom armies of Washington and Clinton en- 
gaged in an heroic death struggle. They will see 
again the hour of doubt and gloom, and then the ban- 
ner of liberty will rise victorious and enrich the very 
air, and those who died to give it glory will tell them 
of the tremendous cost of American freedom. 

From this historic spot will perpetually go forth 
an influence making for peace, fraternity and national 
solidarity. As our fathers, who bore the heat of bat- 
tle one hundred and twenty-five years ago, and sur- 
vived, left this historic field with renewed confidence 
in their cause, and an increased determination to 
serve well their country, so may we go hence with a 
larger love for our institutions, and with a new pur- 
pose to preserve them strong and undefiled. The 
republic of the United States ! May she ever stand 
majestic and powerful, the everlasting symbol of 
human liberty. 



AUG 24 1903 



I 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




011 800 299 4 



